2 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



used. Many promising young fruit trees are destroyed in 

 this way. In cropping a garden some attempt should be 

 made to carry out a system of rotation, by which is meant 

 that cabbages should not follow immediately after plants of 

 the same order the crops should be varied as much as is 

 practicable. Having selected a piece of land, the first thing 

 will be to trench it two or three feet deep, according as the 

 nature of the soil will admit. Proceed in the following 

 manner : Open a trench across one end (the lowest if there 

 is a fall) three feet wide, remove the top spit say for nine 

 inches deep, and wheel or cart the soil to the end of the 

 plot where it is proposed to finish the work ; loosen well the 

 remainder of the soil, adding an abundance of manure. 

 This done, mark off another trench the same width as the 

 last ; throw the surface soil into the first trench, level off, 

 manure and loosen the bottom soil as before, taking care not 

 to throw much of the underneath soil on to the surface. 

 Continue in this manner until the end of the plot is reached ; 

 finish off the last trench with the surface taken from the 

 first opening. This kind of trenching is known as Bastard 

 trenching, and is the best for most soils. Trenching should 

 be done as early in Autumn as possible in order that the soil 

 may get the benefit of the Winter frosts. Trenching the 

 ground, however, will be labour thrown away if the subsoil 

 is naturally wet ; where water prevails thorough drainage 

 must first be resorted to. 



The following is a general calendar of work to be done 

 in the Vegetable, Flower, and Fruit Gardens throughout the 

 year, commencing with July. Detailed instructions will be 

 found under the separate headings of Vegetable, Fruit, and 

 Flower Gardens. 



*JULY (corresponds with January in Britain). 



It is customary to recommend the sowing of a large 

 variety of garden seeds in July. Our own experience is 

 that except in the North Island, or in dry and well-sheltered 

 localities, it will be better to defer the sowing of most 

 vegetable seeds till the middle or end of August. The 



* Amateurs residing in the North Island, who may use this little manual as a guide, 

 will bear in mind that the seasons, North of Napier, are a month in advance of the 

 South Island. 



